Environmental Archaeology Training Day with Mike Allen

Visit to Mike Allen's laboratory.

On 17th July seven WAS members of the finds team visited Mike Allen's laboratory, at Allen Environmental Archaeology in Wiltshire. Our main object was to learn about samples processing, in particular for our carbon samples from the recent dig at Slindon field 20. Thanks to an early start and our excellent drivers, Chris and Richard, we arrived in good time at the right place, easily recognised by the giant snail on the gateposts.

Mike gave us a tour of the facilities available in the laboratory including his impressive bespoke flotation system. This was followed by a demonstration of flotation and sieving of a land snail sample from Stonehenge. We examined samples of charcoal under a microscope, learning how the tree species could be identified, and the importance of differentiating heartwood from round wood.

We also used the microscope to look at cereal and chaff grains as Mike explained the significance of what types were found in a sample.

Mike impressed on us the importance of being clear about what we wanted to learn from our sample before collecting it, also the care that must be taken choosing and actually collecting the samples. He also explained how we could carry out our own floatations and sieving using meshes, pegs and buckets.

After a convivial lunch in the garden, it was a lovely warm and sunny day, we set off in convoy to Larkhill, for a guided walk around the Stonehenge landscape. Mike told us about ongoing research excavations in the area and we were able to look into a partially backfilled trench which had turned out to be a 2m deep pit, probably Mesolithic, which bore the characteristics of a large post hole, possible for a totem pole type construction. The highlight of the afternoon was walking uphill along the Avenue and seeing Stonehenge appear ahead over the brow of the hill.

Many thanks to Mike for such a great day and hopefully we will be doing the floatation processing of our own samples before long.